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Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia. We love this circuit trek. It is a fast paced trekking adventure with world class mountain views, challenging weather conditions and long days walking with a heavy back pack. This Circuit trek has all the ingreditions of real adventure at low altitude at the bottom of the world. Check out our Top 10 Tips for a successful trek and CONTACT USfor further information. ‘

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

1). Come Physically prepared: This fast pace trek covers some distance. 90 miles from start to finish for 10 days. Long days are followed by easier days but we will have distance to cover every day. Every day has different terrain and elevation gains. You will hike up over 700m on 3 different occasions. One of these days you will have your 16 – 18kg back pack on. A porter costs $150 per day and this covers their wages, food and campsite. So If you will carry all your own gear you need to be training hard 4/5 times a week over the months leading up to the trip. I highly recommend building up to carrying 20kg in your training. We can help you prepare and get a plan in place for this amazing trek.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

2).Be prepared for bad weather: The land of wind is unforgiving and the conditions can be very challenging. It can rain for days on end and you need to be prepared. With muddy trails and poor trail conditions you need to have the right light weight gear. If you are carrying all your own equipment you need to have the essentials and no more for this trip.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

3). If you are looking for more detail on the distances, you can CLICK HERE and read for more. The longest day on the trip is the hike up 700m and down 1,050m over the famous John Gardner Pass. This is a 22km day. It can be split in two. All other days are anywhere from 11km to 19km and most days are full 8 hour days on the trail. MORE INFO NEEDED.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

4).Build up a strong immune system before coming in this trip. You will be sleeping in tents with minimal chance of shelter. You will be exposed to hot, cold, wind, rain and a variety of harsh weather. You really do need to have multi vitamins with you for each day on the trail. Your temperature will fluctuate a lot so you need to keep colds and chest infections at bay. Having the right gear will also help with regulating your temperature and managing yourself in the harsh outdoors.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

5).Make sure you have the right back pack, gear and clothing for your trip. CLICK HERE and watch our packing video. On signing up to one of our trips you will receive a 25 page trip dossier helping you better understand the trip. This document will include a detailed kit list with the gear and clothing we highly recommend. We are also available to chat about the gear that you need for your specific trip dates. Remember it can snow in any month high up and you need to be prepared for all types of weather conditions and all in one day. I highly recommend having light weight quality clothing for this Circuit Trek in Patagonia. CONTACT US for further information. You should also consider a solar panel and battery pack.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

6).Don’t bring any additional snacks. You will be given bags of snacks, sweets bars and nuts and these will be refreshed on the morning of day 5 in Los Torres camp where we will spend two nights. You will have received breakfast, Lunch and Dinner so there will be plenty of food available to you throughout the trip. If you bring extra snacks you will have to carry them.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

7). Stay well hydrated. The good thing is there is plenty of fresh glacial water to drink each day on the trail. You do not need to treat the water but you do need to make sure you take the water up stream from the trails. I always like to have a 2 liter camel bak and 1 liter Nalgene bottle. As you will be carrying all your gear at 15+kg you should only plan on carrying 1 liter of water at a time to keep your pack pack as light as possible. There are plenty of places to replenish water along the trail.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

8). Manage your layering correctly. If you are going to be outdoors all day, camping in mixed conditions you need to be ready for all eventualities. As you will be covering a mixture of up and down in the sun, wind and rain you need to make sure you understand your layers and how you will perform with a weighted back pack. You will experience a range of temperature on any given day. You do not want to over heat or sweat too much on this trek so managing your temperature will be really important for a safe and comfortable trip. We are happy to explain more about this if needed.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

9). Be ready for camping. If you are not comfortable camping, this may not be the trip for you. Although there are some larger Refugio’s on the ‘W’ trek or the front side of this famous circuit. The food in the Refugio’s is not great and 6 to 8 people in a room with no space for your gear and all in close quarters. Camping is the only real way to complete the circuit trek. So it is important to have a comfortable inflatable Thermarest mattress, lightweight warm goose down sleeping bag and have been out camping and testing your gear. You really need to come prepared for a lot of outdoor time. READ MORE.

Top 10 Tips for the Torres Del Paine Circuit trek in Patagonia

10). Be adaptable. You should show up and understanding that the weather plays a massive role in your experience. It can rain for days on end. It can be sunny. It most certainly will be windy with gusts up to 90km or higher on certain parts of the trail and you will need to stay positive in possibly harsh conditions.

It you are up for this fast pacing trekking adventure in Patagonia get in touch. We like to run trips here late October, November, March and early April. Autumn in winter is a great time to trek but the camping areas can be all closed down so picking the right time for you is important. Read some REVIEWS from our trip.